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Eclipse of the Knights
This is a story regarding the Great Knight's expedition to the distant nation of Rovaltinny (in an ancient Inamortan tongue which the Great Knights often use) or "Wings", as it is referred to in the native tongue. For more on the Great Knights, see The History of the Great Knights, and for a list of the characters and locations, see Eclipse of the Knights: Characters and Locations. NOTE: Most of the character profiles connected to this story are likely to contain spoilers. Chapter One - Crawling In The Night Chaos. Destruction. The grass stained red with blood. The statue shattered. He stood there, wielding a bloodied axe and shield, grinning at the devastation he had caused. In a futile attempt to escape, a fallen civilian attempted to crawl away. Steadily, he marched up to the civilian, axe reared to deliver the killing blow. But just as he was upon him, rather than use the blade of the axe, he smashed the base of the handle into his helpless victim, caving in the back of his skull. Blood trickled out as he used his axe handle to pummel the civilian's head into pulp. Soon, there was nothing. Nothing but a gruesome mess of blood, bone and brains. Vince woke from his nightmare, sweat dripping from his forehead. Cautiously, he stared around the tent. All four of his fellow Great Knights lay asleep in their hastily assembled bunks, all unusually silent. Creak. Vince fixed his gaze upon the shadows of the trees swaying in the moonlight on the thin, flaxen tent exterior. Two figures emerged, their footsteps as quiet as those of a hunter stalking its prey, and headed towards the entrance. He felt the temptation to leap out of his bunk to grab his sword and axe, but felt utterly paralysed. His heart began to pound as the figures engorged in size until they reached the tent’s entrance. “Ah, can’t see in the dark. Is this the right tent?”. The face of a grizzled knight poked through and peered into the interior. After his subordinate confirmed his comment, the rather short knight stepped in, clutching a crested helmet under his left arm, and barked an order at the sleeping soldiers, “Wake up men! Your night watch begins in fifteen minutes.” Awoken, Vince’s comrades stirred and groaned, before the knight took a lamp from his officer and marched around the tent, glaring at each of the men. Vince managed to lift himself out and began to stumble outside with his sandals to urinate in a jar. As he did so, he glanced at the radiant full moon, its brightness illuminating the ordered rows of tents. Beyond the stakes surrounding the camp lay a dense expanse of forest, crawling with bizarre creatures apparently native to the North. Hopefully the Wingidons actually have barracks for us thought Vince. The entire thousand-strong detachment was part of a Great Knight expedition to aid their distant allies, the winged denizens of the Eclipse Mountains and the nation of Rovaltinny or "Wings" in the North-West who named themselves the Wingidons. They were particularly strange due to the fact that they had wings - feathery wings akin to those of a bird - which enabled them to fly. Years ago, Great Knight explorers had promised to aid the Wingidons in the case of invasion. Vince smiled to himself as he envisioned the peculiarity of the Wingidons who were delighted by this promise, despite the distance between the two realms being hundreds of kilometres. "They probably won't need us" he muttered to himself. Once Vince was fully prepared for his night watch, he joined his companions. “Good morning Delphius”. Delphius’ lanky form emerged from the dimly-lit tent, grasping a battered axe in one hand and an equally battered shield in his other. “I hate night watch” he grumbled. His eyes were still streaked red and his voice grainy. “I bet you that Pepin the Short just wanted to punish us for fun. ” Delphius remarked as looked back at the diminutive Knight in his polished armour. Vince replied “If we were being punished, we would end up like Grifo. As a matter of fact, I’m surprised Grifo hasn't been executed. Some Great Knight commanders would have just dashed his brains out personally after he disobeyed orders or spoke back to them. I know that at least our old general would have..." The two fell silent as they passed the blood-soaked body of Grifo, who was leaning against the wheel he had been tied up to, unconscious. "Is this really needed?" Vince questioned himself. After navigating their way through the near-identical passageways between the tents, Vince and Delphius arrived at the stakes surrounding the statue and several crops of gold. "Greetings friends" someone whispered at them. It was Samson, holding his remarkably reflective axe in one hand and a lamp in the other. "Hi Samson" They both responded in near unison. While both Delphius and Samson had been eager to test their prowess in war, only Samson saw night watch as fun. After all, wouldn't it be more challenging to fight the native creatures on their home territory in the dark. Regardless, Samson had always been prepared for battle and had memorised enough military manuals, both regular and ancient, to display and explain every single tactic three Great Knights could use against a variety of opponents, including the nefarious creatures they were on guard for. "Now Samson, don't get too hopeful that we get attacked by a swarm of these...things. I think everyone else is practically..." A horrific screech filled the night air, breaking the relative tranquillity of the camp. All three soldiers looked at each other: one smiling, one frustrated; and one concerned. They unsheathed their weapons. Vince felt the adrenaline pumping through his veins, focusing his eyes on the border between the dark forest and the camp. Glimpses of red began to appear in the forest. Vince gripped his weapons tighter. Tentatively, a single cat-like reptile stepped out of the darkness. It was diminutive in size. Its glowing red eyes widened and protruded out of its face, while it cackled menacingly. All of a sudden, a pack of Crawlers pounded out of the twisted woods. The scaled monstrosities leapt over the firm mud and patches of grass. Samson beamed. "Practice time!" he yelled, while Vince cried out "Incoming Crawlers!". The other Knights raised their shields. The rush of footsteps could be heard from behind as several other guards rushed to reinforce them. Samson's glinting axe sped forwards and cleaved the lead Crawlers head off, which rolled off onto the ground. His next blow landed directly on another Crawler's skull, making a satisfying crunch as it hit. In the meantime, Vince and Delphius used their shields the shove back the incoming Crawlers who threw their entire body mass against them. Confidently, Vince stabbed his sword forwards and caught a writhing Crawler in the side of its neck, allowing a stream of blood to pour out and its body to collapse. Delphius made a similar movement with his axe, shearing off a creature's leg before finishing it. Without warning, he and Samson then charged forwards, knocking over several Crawlers with their momentum and executing them as they were incapacitated. Two Knights to their right made a similar manoeuvre, stunning three Crawlers and using the slight point on the bottom of their shields to bludgeon and dislocate their necks. The furious war cries of the few were matched only by the screeches of their enemies. Pools of blood were splattered everywhere at the edge of the stakes as the cold steel and might of the Great Knights unleashed upon the Crawlers. The combined night guards continued to crush the Crawlers, pushing forward as certain soldiers charged forward to prevent them from regrouping. Even though the Crawlers outnumbered the Knights by two to one, they stood no chance. A few remained limp on the ground, trodden on by the advancing metal-clad warriors. Within a minute, the once thirty-strong pack of Crawlers was a mere three individuals that had the intelligence, and the nonchalance, to scamper back into the forest, dragging a few of the smallest casualties along with them, presumably for consumption. "Cowards!" Samson cried jokingly at the fleeing Crawlers. He stared down at the numerous disfigured lumps of flesh and kicked one head away, before pulling out a clean cloth to wipe the blade of his axe with. Delphius spat on one of the corpses and made a rude gesture at it, proceeding to stamp its brains out. Vince’s heavy breathing ceased and he looked to the other Knights, several of whom had rushed out to defend the statue. Some were clutching their axes and swords, while a few longbowmen and crossbowmen advanced out of their positions to collect the few arrows and bolts they had fired. Vince felt a slight sense of relief: that had been easy enough. But as he reflected on the encounter, a sudden dark chill crept up his spine. Nothing he reassured himself silently while scanning the forest. Only a single pair of glowing red eyes were visible from afar, staring unblinkingly for several seconds and them disappearing into the night. Just a Crawler he thought to himself again. Just a Crawler... Chapter Two - Pack Mentality Vince yawned loudly as the sun rose from the horizon. His companions were all similarly tired and irritated, muttering sarcastic jokes about feeling dead inside. A few had taken to disassembling the dead Crawlers and throwing their mutilated remains at each other to save themselves from going insane with boredom. All were broadly arrayed around the statue, with only a few focusing on the forest they were all supposed to watch for. Samson continued to switch between reading a history book of Cranium (Northern Inamorta), taking small sips of dilute ale from his water skin and polishing his shield, which he had laid out next to the statue. "Apparently, we're only a day's march away from Rovaltinny" he stated rather plainly. He knew that many of the Great Knights on this expedition were doubtful of their purpose: sending almost 2,700 Knights and 400 Auxiliary Soldiers deep into the North seemed impractical to face an entire invasion force by an unknown enemy. Regardless, no one truly despised the Wingidons, only their lack of a sophisticated language, in fact the Knight's considered "Wingidon" as an insult if said directly to them, and referred to them solely as Rovalians, especially since the Wingidons' cousins in the Eagle Mountains, known as the Theryn, were somewhat superior in their technology and closer to the Great Knights. "Good morning again lads!" Pepin, their short-statured commander, arrived with a small grin. "Finally, the expedition is moving out again to link up with a Rovalian detachment at the borders of their kingdom." His announcement was met with a few quiet cheers and multiple grunts. "However, we haven't been able to contact them because..." Pepin faltered as he surveyed the soldiers' faces. Almost all of them seemed to have been drained of life. After a pause of several seconds, Pepin spoke up again, only at a quieter volume "...At least 3 scouting parties were attacked, apparently by a large pack of Crawlers." Murmurs erupted throughout the Knights. How could 3 scouting parties, each consisting of 9 Great Knights and 5 Archers be overwhelmed by Crawlers? But the more perceptive realised that there must have been over 300 Crawlers to overwhelm that many soldiers, and with no information of the path ahead, there could be many more. "Therefore, we're sending out a larger task force to sweep the path and enable communication with the Rovalians. A second group will remain in the surrounding forest and guard our retreat, but we wont be able to deconstruct the camp if we don't make contact with the Rovalians. Any questions?" As Pepin answered the many questions that the Knights had, Vince turned to his comrades, grinning at them. "Here's your chance to kill some more Crawlers. I definitely hope that Pepin takes our squadron." He mocked them sarcastically. He could see their eyes completely bloodshot and their ears barely comprehending his loud voice. Delphius rolled his eyes in response while Samson groaned. Neither of them were in any mood to slaughter more beasts, in spite of their usual attitude towards doing so. "Maybe we should have got some sleep. This operation sounds more promising than night watch." Delphius complained. After a short pause, he whispered "If Pepin selects us, I'm going to be incredibly peeved, and may possibly split his skull - although I that seems to be what always happens to anyone who annoys me mildly in the end." Both Vince and Samson nodded casually. Neither approved of Delphius' somewhat murderous tendencies, but they knew that Delphius would do no such thing - murder was reserved for those who Delphius truly hated. "So then, who's ready for some more killing!" A voice boomed from behind. Hastini Rongsabin emerged, clutching a large and ornate axe in her hands and a taunting smile on her face. "Or are you all too tired from standing around at night?" The mocking tone in her voice enraged Vince, but it was not for himself that he was concerned: it was Delphius. His obsession with brutality was something that Hastini shared and even approved of, but Vince could tell that she was even more sadistic - where Delphius would split someone's skull in half, Hastini would ram blunt points into her victims' knee caps to dislocate them, snap off several joints and then disembowel them - and loathed her for it. "Tired? We're not tired at all!" Delphius exclaimed, just as Samson yawned rather prominently. "Oh really?" She replied snidely "Prove it." All of a sudden, Hastini's axe was arcing over her head towards Delphius. Delphius leaped out of the way just as the axe glinted the side of his helmet, leaving a visible gash in the side. "A bit slow don't you think." "Delphius, are you ok okay!" Vince rushed to his side, inspecting the dent. He glared up at Hastini, who was still grinning. "Why would you do that? You almost killed him!" He could feel his blood boil in his veins as he stood up to meet her at eye level. "It's fine. He's alive." Hastini replied calmly. She then turned to Delphius' crouching form. "Well, you managed to survive, so I think you can stay alive when facing a mass of Crawlers." Samson finally spoke. "That was completely unnecessary." he reprimanded her sternly. Hastini continued to sneer and turned away with complete confidence, ignoring Vince's insults and Samson's criticisms. "No conscience or honour at all. I hope she dies and burns in hell." Vince whispered to Samson. "Let's hope so, although from what I can tell, hell seems to be the ideal home for her." They looked back to Delphius, who had just stood back up again, slightly dazed. As he stumbled about, he almost knocked into Pepin, who was roughly a third shorter than Delphius. "Vince, I need your squadron to move out and join the centre vanguard. There has to be at least 200 experienced fighters to crush all the Crawlers ahead." Before anyone could respond, Pepin smiled approvingly, handing Samson a file of papers and left in a hurry. Clearly frustrated, Delphius started swearing repeatedly, while Vince patted him on the back half-sympathetically. "Well then, get Edlothang and brief the others and get them on the road in 45 minutes. Get them to have breakfast quickly." Vince spoke. Samson nodded and glanced at the readjusted sundial behind him, turning to leave as he did so. *** After eating hurriedly, Vince's squadron assembled at the edge of the camp, along with several other veteran warriors grouped in their respective divisions. Vince ambled to the front of his soldiers, appearing slightly reinvigorated after drinking several cups of boiled tea. A bubbly voice sprang out from almost nowhere, "Hi Vince, seems like we really are the best of the best - we get to be thrown straight into hostile territory with full armour in a forest!" Vince pivoted around to see Edlothang, potentially the most cheery soldier he had every met, looking absolutely delighted with the prospect of a dangerous mission, her brilliant white teeth almost shining in the morning sunlight. "A bit like Samson, but less philosophical and almost never tired. That's why they're both lieutenants." ''Vince contemplated. "Yes, it seems we are. I'm not so keen on fighting against an enemy which we have no intel on." he replied with slightly less enthusiasm. Not discouraged, Edlothang shrugged, maintaining her friendly smile "Maybe, but it feels good to be helping those Rovalians, as peculiar as they are." Intrigued by Edlothang's inextinguishable morale, Vince nodded in response "Fair enough. Any way, I presume that everyone knows the plan from Samson's papers, and that you and Samson are equipped with the signalling horns?" "Yes, everyone knows the plan, and all the signallers have been assigned. Actually, I think you should probably address the squadron now." She performed a short salute to Vince before returning to her position within the squadron. As he addressed them, he could not help but notice that almost all of them were eager to fight (with a few exceptions, notably Samson and Delphius, who were simply tired), murderous smiles etched onto their faces. ''The best of the best ''Vince repeated Edlothang's words to himself silently with pride, he was after all commanding young, yet experienced, knights who he had fought together with in campaigns from the frigid Ice Hills to the dense forests of the Havik Kingdom, and achieved amazing success. His silent reflection was rudely interrupted by Hastini, who swaggered arrogantly past with her axe trailing behind her, knocking Vince forward with a shoulder barge. He turned around scowling as the amused Hastini continued to advance, completely ignoring him. ''Why on earth does Delphius still consider her a friend? "Well, having a sadist in your ranks does strike fear into the hearts of your enemies, making them more cautious and, when their line begins to break, panicky and extraordinarily fun to pursue with cavalry." Vince looked to his other side at the tall, metal-clad, beaming young woman standing in front of her own squadron. "Parean, was I... was I just thinking out loud?" He questioned, slightly puzzled at her comment. "No, but it was rather obvious from your expression that it was something to do with Hastini's presence." Parean responded without hesitation. Vince still appeared confused, his eyes having wandered towards the sky as he pondered on his previous expression. "If it's any comfort, in a scenario where we are all besieged and run out of supplies, Hastini will definitely be our first victim of cannibalisation." She added rather enthusiastically, raising an amused smile from Vince. "How would we kill her though? There has to be some element of disembowelment for ironic purposes." "Of course there does, but wouldn't it be more fun to also destroy her joints with brute force and tear off her nails." They both grimaced in agreement. Vince knew that Parean was not a sadist in any way, but occasionally they would both indulge in their own fantasy of torturing Hastini to death. "Vince, Parean, get up here quickly!" another Great Knight captain bellowed from the command tent. The two hurried in that direction to gather around a table with several of the most senior Great Knights planning their attack strategy. Pepin stood in the middle of the huddle, holding a few banner figures to signify the various squadrons, with 40 soldiers each. 5 were congregated at the centre of the road, while a further 3 were positioned on each side of the road. He pushed the flanking groups up first. "We need to clear the forest of potential ambushers before our main group advances on the road. We are expecting resistance, so each group has their own signallers following this system: one horn for spotting the enemy, two for engaging them, three if reinforcements may be required if more are attackers are suspected, and finally, four if your group is being overrun." Most of the captains nodded at this, whereas Vince and Parean took some more time figuring out the locations. "Do we have any exact information on the numbers or locations of these creatures?" Vince inquired "There could be thousands of them lurking amongst these forests just waiting to annihilate our divided groups piecemeal. Somehow, these Crawlers are acting...intelligent. Within the past few days, most of the Crawlers we've faced were bigger, faster and attacked small groups of guards with overwhelming numbers, picking us off slowly. We can't just send in.." "And what would you suggest we do then?" the irritated voice of a woman cut off Vince's complaint. "Send in more scout groups? Even you said that these Crawlers were superior and could pick off small groups of soldiers, and you want to send in more scouts to be butchered without any benefit." she derided him. "I thought you were the sort of captain who threw his troops into a massive assault to ensure they fought together, not separated." Flustered, Vince opened his mouth to protest, but thought better of it and hung his head as a wave of shame overtook him. "Fair enough Lieutenant General Tangeldis, you're right." He silently berated himself for his stupidity, while Tangeldis continued staring at him with what could be interpreted as contempt. Vince attempted to avoid her piercing eyes and casually glanced around the table. All the other captains were showing some sign of discomfort. Pepin continued "Anyway, each group should be able to assign three backup horn signallers and equip them accordingly. The first groups will march out in 15 minutes and the centre group within 20 minutes. Any questions?" One of the Great Knight captains standing next to Vince spoke up, pointing at a point on the map "What about the turn in the road there? If the Crawlers are intelligent as you say they are, then surely they would attack us where the vegetation is most dense and visibility is low. After all, that would be a good spot to engage us and we wouldn't know how many Crawlers were committing to the attack. We might want to be careful in reinforcing our groups until we have a better idea about the size of their forces. They could attack one group on the left to lure away defenders, then send in the rest of the forces to attack the group on the right after they have sent reinforcements." "Captain Nircurus, all you are suggesting is that we should be careful separating and reinforcing our groups." Tangeldis commented with a haughty expression, clearly feeling the need to shut him down. Nircurus shook his head, smiling mischievously "Do you remember your military history Tangeldis, for example, in the Lostathon Campaign?" Tangeldis' skin flushed red, but her expression remained as staunch as previously. The more experienced captains in the tent began smiling knowingly. "No? Let me remind you. Your sister - and she still is related to you , no matter how much you hate each other - led around 3,000 Great Knights into battle. They were facing 1,500 soldiers; it should have been an easy victory. But instead: you came along; told them to split up; failed to send out scouts; marched half of the groups against the enemy; and then you just left. What happened to those 3,000 Great Knights? I know you don't care about your sister, but what about them?" With deliberate action, he paused, seemingly waiting for an answer to his rhetorical question. All attention was focused on Tangeldis, who remained silent. "Destruction in detail. All of those Knights were killed." Nircurus finished. Tangeldis finally retorted "What about the Woid attack on the Drookies? I earned the Great Knights another vassal kingdom by crushing those nomads. What about the Second Battle of Firnost? I saved you from facing a huge army of spearmen when all you had was heavy cavalry and a few Knights. What about..." "Yes, I think that's enough. We have timings to follow." Pepin yelled. "We can boast or reminisce or insult each other later, not now." *** "Stay close to Nircurus' squadron!" Vince bellowed at his troops. The road was little more than a mud track, battered by the wet and frigid weather of the North West. Even though they were marching in broad daylight, the towering trees along the side of the path cast looming shadows on the advancing Great Knight column. All of them were surveying their surroundings, anticipating the orbs of red hidden in the forest and the scramble of vegetation being disrupted. Just the column turned the dreaded bend and the borders of the forest and road became glaringly obvious, a loud horn blasted from deep within the forest on their left. This was followed by two blasts. "Our left flank has engaged." Captain Nircurus addressed the column calmly and rather reluctantly. His squadron was in front of Vince's and Parean's. "We should probably prepare one group to..." Without warning, a chorus of loud horns exploded on their left. Four horns. The entire column stopped moving as they processed the sudden rush of signals. It was clear that the 120 soldiers in the forest were being utterly overrun. Then, another volley of horns came from the right. Now the right flank was being overrun as well. "They've swarmed us on both sides." Parean whispered to Vince "And now they have encircled us! Just as suspected." Nircurus exclaimed. A writhing mass of the creatures spilled onto the road both ahead and behind them, intent on killing. A few Great Knights were scrambling through the forest, desperately trying to escape the horde that was devouring them so quickly. Vince glanced at the other captains, then at Samson, Edlothang and Delphius. They all nodded in agreement. "Defensive positions!" Chapter Three - Flying Statues Pepin was running. Running through a spider's web of tree branches and brambles, chased by semi-intelligent monsters intent on eating him. "If this is how father died, I can now feel his pain." He muttered to himself as he sprinted through the forest, stumbling and hacking his way through. The left flank had been obliterated in the blink of an eye and now 80 Great Knights were fleeing to the central group. The same situation was with that of the right flank he presumed, as distant signals could be heard. A single, much louder horn blast sounded - the centre had spotted the enemy. Suddenly, Pepin's foot caught on a tree root, tripping him up and causing him to lurch forwards. He cursed as he collapsed to the ground, scraping the skin off his hands and dropping his sword. Attempting to recover, he grabbed his sword and sheathed, instead taking out one of his several throwing axes and hacking a path to the road. Then, a few ravenous screams came from behind him. Apprehensive, Pepin turned around, seeing one of the Great Knights behind him being swarmed and clawed to death. Instinctively, Pepin hurled the axe in his hand at the Crawlers, scattering them as it bounced on the uneven forest floor and catching two in the limbs. He threw another axe as the Crawlers retreated, this time aiming higher and detaching multiple branches, which fell and trapped four Crawlers underneath. Pepin rushed to slice all of them in a single stroke, before shifting his attention to the fallen Great Knight beside him. His mouth hung agape as he saw the knight's head, battered beyond recognition and detached from the body. Pepin hurriedly spoke a short prayer, looking up immediately as he completed it. Almost instantly, his arm flicked up, cracking the jaw of a Crawler that had leapt at him to try and ambush him. As he wrenched his axe free, another pack of Crawlers advanced, slipping through the maze of twigs and thorns with ease. Not wasting a second, Pepin dashed to the path he had created previously, eager to reach his fellow soldiers. Wielding his throwing axe, he rushed to the edge of the forest, breaking through in an instant. His arrival was met with a few sighs of relief, but there was no mistaking the fear that gripped almost every one of them. Pepin twisted his head round to see a thousand Crawlers pour onto the road. "Here we go" ''he though. "Shield wall, ring formation!" he commanded in the most confident voice he could muster. Tapping into their years of professional training, the knights began to arrange their formation. Heart thumping, Pepin sprinted to the centre, axes in hand and ready to shatter the enemy. Surrounding him were the survivors of his own squadron, all armed similarly with throwing axes designed to shatter enemy cohesion by destroying their shields, while a few heavy axe soldiers were positioned there, ready to reinforce if necessary. The next ring consisted of Tangeldis and her squadron from the right flank, which had now also withdrawn to the centre, clutching long thrusting spears that reached over the shoulder of the outer ring - consisting of Knights equipped with axes and swords. All of them clamped down in their formation, creating a uniform ring of steel that all of its components hoped would be impenetrable. Emboldened by their successful encirclement, the Crawlers were now assembling, prowling around the defensive circle, all of them waiting for a signal to attack. Their jagged teeth were clearly visible in their twisted smiles, displaying stains of blood, probably made by tearing the flesh from an unfortunate knight. Purrs and other bizarre sounds began uttering from their diaphragms, while their tails began waving eerily in complete unison. Standing in the centre of his formation, Pepin could detect the growing concentration of sweat from his troops. Deep breaths. Meanwhile, Vince was standing shoulder to shoulder with Delphius and Samson, shields abut and raised, clenching his sweaty palm on the handle of his arming sword. His heart pounding felt like a stampede of enraged horses, or maybe the famed mass charge of the Great Knights - only this time, it was they who were the victims of the charge. "''Ironic" concluded Vince bitterly. Instantly, the ear-splitting shrieks of the Crawlers broke Vince's train of thought. They were charging. He braced himself for the incoming smash of the rabid beasts hurling their jagged, scaled bodies against his shield as the rumbling of their charge intensified. "Squadron, now!" Pepin screamed in an agitated voice. In a split second, Pepin's squadron hurled their axes in several directions, sending Crawlers flying as the axes rebounded and crashed into them and splintered their arrowhead formations with which there were moving in. Only a few dispersed creatures even reached the shield wall, where the spears began stabbing out and impaling several more Crawlers. Yet it was clear that the thousand or so Crawlers were not going to give up: they had surrounded the best of the Great Knight expedition; now would be the time to annihilate once and for all, and they had the combined intelligence to recognise this. With a signal from the presumed leaders of the packs, the encirclement tightened and now a fresh wave of prepared to attack. Synchronous with an unusual hiss, a whole tsunami of charcoal-inflected appendages, claws and teeth came crashing towards the formation again, only this time, they avoided the axe volley that greeted them to their best ability, suffering far fewer casualties than before. They've learnt to dodge? ''Pepin exclaimed within his own mind. All the same, this was not the thought that was streaming through Vince's, or indeed anyone else in the outer ring's mind. Instead, it was a mixture of profanities directed at the Crawlers and some more civilised thoughts of home. Some were even contemplating life itself. In a single smash, the weight of over a thousand beings hammered against the steel plates that were the only thing keeping the terrified soldiers breathing - if one section collapsed, the entire formation was likely doomed. Vince barged his shield out in tandem with Samson and Delphius, intending to knock them back, nevertheless, to no avail. Even when compressing the handle of his shield so tightly his hands were trembling, Vince sensed the sudden release of pressure. The Crawlers were retreating; no, they were coming back! "Cycle charging" Vince heard Nircurus announce. Having had only a very brief respite, the shield wall shook again as the impact of the charge hit. Then, the line ruptured. A terrified Knight had stabbed out his axe, only for his shield to be dragged out, taking him with it. Crawlers burst into their ranks and panic immediately caught them. Pepin swore. Voice wavering, he yelled "Hastini, get the axe warriors to seal the breach!". Hastini, hidden within the centre of the formation, emerged with a massive grin, shoving a few spearmen aside as her soldiers, around 20 in total, all with large two-handed axes. As soon as a Crawler leapt upon her, she landed a vicious kick to the underbelly, before stamping on its neck and severing its spine. Arranged in a crescent formation, half of the axe warriors were spinning their blade to catch the approaching, unarmoured Crawlers in any position possible, while the other half was dispersed between them, ensuring that their comrades were defended. Their weapons continually sliced through the flesh of the Crawlers easily, shattering bone if used efficienly. Concurrent to Hastini's display of axe-fighting skills, chaos had erupted in the outer ring, which was no longer a formation, but a few isolated groups of knights being destroyed in detail, much to the dismay of Nircurus. Vince, Samson, Delphius and Edlothang were all trapped in the same pocket, not far from Tangeldis' spear troops, who were systematically stabbing out to kill as many Crawlers as possible. Vince's squadron had no such advantage of reach or cohesion: they were surrounded in a circle formation of their own. Thirty or so Great Knights under Vince were sporadically striking their weapons out, axes rapidly decapitating their opponents with surprising precision. They were almost all afraid, but now was not the time to show it. Vince kept his head low, peering above his shield to witness a single Crawler rearing up on its hind leg to somersault in the air and lash at his face. Without hesitation, Vince shoved the Crawler onto its back just as it left the floor, bringing his shield crashing down on the creature's stomach, spilling a pool of blood onto the ground. To his right, Samson used an upwards strike with his axe to bat away another Crawlers performing a near identical move. Despite this, where one Crawler fell, two more would take its place. A breakthrough would be impossible. Depressed by this gradual realisation, Delphius mumbled satirically "Well, at least we died somewhere close to our objective. It's a shame we won't achieve our perfect record of succeeding in every campaign that we've fought in." "O come on Delphius, we might as well try to kill as many of them as possible and lessen the burden of those Rovalians!" Edlothang chided him in a characteristically cheerful voice, while her arming sword slit the neck of a Crawler. Unmoved by Edlothang's comment, Delphius rolled his eyes and continued striking out at the increasing number of Crawlers, which despite Hastini's best efforts, were still coming in by the hundreds. Abruptly, a single horn blasted from around the corner of the road. Vince stared in that direction, as did most of his squad. A hoarse voiced exclaimed an order: "Charge!" Even the Crawlers were now looking back, their beastly faces conveying some sense of fear. "''Metal" Vince observed as the first beings emerged from behind the dense forest. "Reinforcements have arrived!" Edlothang screamed with delight. Parean, trapped in her own pocket, relayed the message to the main body where Tangeldis and Pepin were held. With renewed vigour, the Great Knights began hewing down the Crawlers, some of whom were beginning to falter. The reinforcing knights charged into the rear of the Crawler mass, scattering them first with a few throwing axes and utterly shattering them as they cut down the largest of the Crawlers. Once more, the Great Knights were charged with wrath and butchering the creatures that had dared to ambush them. Vince's squadron broke out of their formation, descending on the fleeing Crawlers and chasing them back into the forest, where they halted their pursuit. "Yes! Victorious once more!" Samson punched the air and high-fived a cheery Edlothang. Meanwhile, a relieved Delphius began kicking the corpses of the Crawlers around again, laughing at their mangled bodies and the partial look of fear in their dead eyes. Nircurus and Parean cantered towards Vince, broad smiles embedded on them. "Now, that is why we keep reserves around to operate an excellent hammer and anvil operation." Parean spoke. "I have to admit though, I would rather have been the hammer than the anvil, especially since in our case, the anvil didn't know that it was an anvil." Nircurus grimaced. *** "All squadrons have been registered and losses calculated - we have 56 dead and 23 wounded sir. Captain Rethdurk is also returning to the camp with his reinforcements." Tangeldis informed Pepin. "Rethdurk probably needs some sort of recognition when we return for saving us" Pepin presumed. "Also, I need at least three relatively intact squadrons to move forward to the last objective. There we were supposed to rendezvous with a Rovalian patrol. Hopefully, they might still be there." Tangeldis rapidly assessed the numbers of each of the squads from her sheet. "It would appear that Nircurus, Parean and Vince still have squads that are almost at full strength. I recommend that they should be sent further." Pepin agreed without hesitation. *** "Are we still marching out after being ambushed by a thousand Crawlers?" Delphius moaned Calmly, Pepin answered his rhetorical question "Yes, we still need to meet up with the Rovalians, who should be safe from any Crawler attacks." They were all trudging along the path, which had further disintegrated into a solid river of dirt, complete with jagged rocks penetrating from the ground. Pepin was marching with Vince's squad at the front. "Wait, what is that?" Delphius questioned again as he pointed at a puddle only a few metres ahead, only this time, his tone was considerably more serious and inquisitive. Samson shot him an amused look "It's a puddle, a pool of water that has accumulated after rainfall in a depression on an impermeable surface! Look, I might as well just jump into it and... " Samson leaped forward "See, it's one of those mini-lakes that Beriaur would hang you for if y-AARRGGHH!" Samson jumped backwards, knocking into Delphius and Pepin and pushing them onto the floor. His expression contorted with anguish, he cradled his foot in his arms. Curiously, Vince crouched down peered at the pool from its side, inspecting the harmless-looking liquid. "Hang on, it's slightly... green? No, it's very green from this angle." "Samson's sabaton has been partially dissolved or something." Edlothang commented. "What is that substance?" Both Parean and Nircurus had sprinted over to investigate. "Is that poison?" Nircurus puzzled Parean answered "Possibly, I've heard accounts of corrosive poisons which have a similar shade to this, only that the last records of those were from approximately..." "140 years ago, only a few years after the Serpentine were annihilated. I should have known better than to step in a puddle." Samson finished Parean's sentence, who grinned in response. "Ah yes, some Serpentine were able to discharge vast amounts of this poison which would inflict severe damage on those who came into contact with it and gradually drain a person's health to the point of death if left untreated. We must return to the camp to ensure that Samson's wounds have not been infiltrated by the poison, or he will soon be dead. My squadron will escort him back sir. We have a stretcher" Without a nod of approval from Pepin, Nircurus and his lieutenants Galderian and Yaleris rapidly assembled a stretcher and lifted Samson's moderately heavy body onto it, proceeding to transport him back down the road as Samson complained that a stretcher was completely unnecessary. The Great Knights continued to advance, deliberately avoiding the pools of poison that littered the road. Pepin almost tripped up on a spindly rock protruding out of the ground. "Why are there suddenly so many stones..." Vince's question trailed off as he began to comprehend what he was seeing. Trapped in the tree in front of him was a statue. Not a large statue from which miners would gather mana, this was life size. The face was perfectly preserved, emanating with pain and fear, the mouth screaming silently and the eyes widened to a near disproportionate size, clearly in shock, and a hand was raised slightly below eye level, as if it was trying to defend itself against something. The expansive wings on its back gave away that this was somewhat representation of a Rovalian, complete with the texture of feathers emerging. Hanging from one of the branches was a longbow, and on the statue itself was a mounted quiver, complete with several arrows. Nervously, Parean began analysing the statue "That is not right. The Rovalians would not, could not carve anything like that. Much less would they carve a member of their own race apparently in pain, stuck in a tree. Is that bow still wooden? The quiver isn't made of stone?" Keeping this information in mind, Pepin continued surveying the road, confusion continuing to build up in his mind as it registered an increasing number of life-like statues strewn carelessly everywhere. Many had shattered on the ground, seemingly having fallen from the sky. Possibly there was some pattern, 10 of the Statues were spread in a crescent formation around their current position, almost as if they were preparing to attack them. Vince swallowed hard as his conclusion came to mind. "Is this...mass petrification?" Chapter Four - Gates of Stone The camp was in a frenzy of movement. Amid the rapid deconstruction of tents, soldiers were discussing what had been seen only a few hours ago. Whispers of the words'' petrification, poison'' and Serpentine spread across the camp like wildfire. Those who knew their history well could recall that these were characteristics of the Serpentine, a race that had caused much destruction across Inamorta and had been completely wiped out by the Great Knights more than a hundred years ago. Now it appeared they had returned. "The last recorded Serpentine were killed by Darvink Havik and his fleet when they attempted to flee back to the Maxilla Peninsula. That was one of the fundamental points in the split between him and Jygarn Invincibilis - Darvink demanded more recognition for his action." A cool headed Parean was explaining the history of the Great Knights to Delphius and several of his lower ranking friends in her squadron, most of whom were less experienced than him, in one of their barrack tents "So, does that mean that Darvink was just jealous of Jygarn's position as leader of the Great Knights, just because he was the one who actually finished off the Serpentine?" One of them inquired in an inquisitive and low-pitched tone. "It was more...justified than that Lobaten. One of the main reasons for Darvink's frustration was that Belfaenar had died before he could return with the news that all of the Serpentine had been exterminated and hence Belfaenar Rochir never officially recognised it, making Jygarn joint leader with Saelara Rochir." The knight named Lobaten nodded in comprehension, as did most of the others. "But are there still Serpentine alive and therefore Darvink didn't kill all of them?" Another question cropped up, this time from a smaller knight called Uldarlas, who was just as curious as her comrade Lobaten. Unwilling to spread fear among the more inexperienced of the Great Knights, Parean replied "There is no confirmation that the petrified Wingidons were killed by Serpentine exactly, after all there are instances of mages powerful enough to transform themselves or potentially other beings into stone. I simply suggest that you are vigilant, but not paranoid, of any suspicious movements that you observe in the forest and do not travel around alone or in small groups, unless you are part of a reconnaissance party." Just as Lobaten had done, Uldarlas gave a respectful nod to Parean, but she her face was still somewhat disappointed, almost as if she was looking forward to a flamboyantly speculative answer. Parean, perceptive as ever, knew not to feed her any false information or else risk a massive breakdown in morale among the younger Great Knights on the expedition. "I think that's enough talk about snake people for one day." Delphius finally exclaimed, yet again fatigued after withstanding Parean's complicated - at least to him - droning on about Serpentine and rudimentary politics. The only thing Delphius enjoyed about politics was that it gave him an excuse to kill, for "political reasons" or maybe assassinating people - he found that the most satisfactory. "Well, unfortunately 'snake people' are a crucial part of the history of the Great Knights. In fact, they can also withstand significant amounts of damage, but can still feel pain, therefore you could conceivably torture them for longer without worrying significantly about how to maximise torture efficiency." Parean chuckled in response, raising a slight smile from Delphius. At that point, Galderian, Nircurus' most trusted lieutenant, poked his head through the tent, leading to several of the lower ranking Knights to immediately sit up, much to the amusement of Galderian, Parean and Delphius. "Don't worry soldiers, you only need to be at the shun if I'm in the position of a cavalry officer, otherwise my rank isn't high enough for that to be necessary." Galderian chuckled, knowing that his rank had fluctuated so frequently that no one actually bothered to address him by it. Witnessing most of the Knights return to their slumped posture, he continued. "General Pepin requests your presence for the final forward operation." Parean and the rest of her squadron, including Lobaten and Uldarlas, picked up their equipment, all with the sole exception of Delphius. "Not another mission, I've only slept for another three hours between this and the last!" he retorted in outrage. Galderian rolled his eyes and began ranting instantaneously "Do you think that I wanted to take part in this either? Do you think I wanted to walk for the entirety of this campaign? Using horses for the sole purpose of transporting goods is ridiculously frustrating when mounted scouts could do so much better. Of course not an entire cavalry division, but at least two cavalry squadrons, one for Nircurus and one for me. And yet the Great Council decides to say 'no cavalry whatsoever'. I don't understand why Yaleris likes to dismount before fighting, cavalry used correctly is utterly devastating to any enemy. With the many knights we have at our disposal, we could even destroy units of spearmen! Cavalry is simply superb and this expedition was so poorly funded by the Council that I hate myself for even coming." "Are you finished?" Delphius sneered. Lectures on "tactics" and "strategy" were something he usually switched off for, even when delivered by Samson - he was only interested when killing was mentioned. "When commanded correctly, cavalry is the best." Galderian responded coldly, glowering at Delphius' clear lack of interest. "Remember Delphius, fighting isn't all about charging straight into the enemy, and definitely not charging into a pike or spear formation" He clasped his hand on Delphius shoulder. "It's good to enjoy warfare for the thrill of killing, but only if you treat your fellow living beings with some sort of respect rather than mutilating them like a certain Hastini does." "Also, I saw you during the Lostathon Campaign. The only reason you survived that suicidal charge of yours and the reason for your demotion was because of my cavalry. Running into a lot of spiky objects headfirst is going to get you killed." Now Galderian was smirking, amused at Delphius' sudden change in confidence as his jeering smile vanished. "So, as I was saying, Pepin requests your presence." *** Once again, a few squadrons were in the assembly area, becoming the vanguard for the travelling column of Great Knights. Delphius appeared more scornful than usual, undoubtedly contemplating how Galderian's belittlement of him was justified, seeing as Delphius had accidentally killed half a squadron with that decision and was never given another position of command. If only the Great Knights actually recognised brutality as a good asset and promoted the ones with the best torture methods - Hastini would be commander-in-chief then. But they'll never understand how fun it is. Never. Seeing Delphius staring blankly at the ground until his face began twisting into a sadistic smile, Vince tapped him on the shoulder to wake him from his trance-like state. "Hey, Delphius, wake up. You were asleep an hour ago according to Parean." Vince gave a reassuring grin to Delphius. "After all these years of fighting, how have we not become used to fatigue?" Delphius articulated his rhetorical question. "We probably experience ridiculous amounts of sleep deprivation because Pepin knows that we can actually accomplish something, but we've had enough practice to... I don't know, not die of it?" They both started to jest at this notion, but Delphius had catalogued that thought in his mind: if only brutality was rewarded. Once more, Delphius' train of thought was interrupted, this time by Pepin, who was now addressing Vince's squadron. "Greetings again Vince. It seems that Samson will still remain inactive for around a day, but his wounds aren't serious in any way, they only seared off part of his skin." Pepin informed Vince, who subsequently replied "Yes sir." At a single horn signal, the vanguard marched out, while numerous carts and the main body of Great Knights trailed behind them. Along the road, several squadrons were strategically placed in order to spot any Crawler movements, while remaining sufficiently close to each other to retreat rapidly to the encampment and request reinforcements; this was a lesson Pepin had learnt from the ambush a few hours ago and he was not intending to lose more of his best troops. *** The moist afternoon air of the north was beginning to result in small patches of mist materialising along the rugged road. The vanguard once again passed through their checkpoint at the petrified Wingidons, where the furthest out squadron commanded by Captain Rivinle. "Ah, on time as usual general." Rivinle taunted Pepin in his typically arrogant voice, tapping his foot impatiently as he looked at the makeshift sundial his soldiers had stuck in the ground. "I believe that's fifteen minutes late. The Council won't be happy to hear..." "Captain Rivinle, do you truly believe that the Council even care about this expedition if they send so few troops, most of whom are inadequately equipped, to their allies in a distant kingdom? A fifteen minute delay is no reason to decry your general when the given time of arrival was a rough estimate" Pepin uttered sternly “Don’t think that being an experimental Juggernaut raises your position above a general.” “Oh General, please do forgive me for being superior to you in every way but rank.” Rivinle leered at Pepin sarcastically, simply waiting for Pepin to unleash his anger, another point which Rivinle could then threaten with reporting. His loyalty to the Great Knights was unswerving, making him the perfect informat on the progress of the mission for the council. The merciless experimental Juggernaut programme had made sure of it. Ignoring Rivinle’s blatant insubordination, Pepin posed another question, this time actually expecting a comprehensive answer, “Have there been any signs of Crawlers movement?” “Of course not! We’ve been waiting for several hours doing nothing productive. Now hurry up the column. This is getting ridiculous.” Rivinle’s discontent at what he deemed as a useless position was very pronounced. “Good” came Pepin's terse reply. “Continue advancing!” he bellowed to the rest of the vanguard. *** The dense fog intensified as the vanguard plodded on through the stone-ridden mud track that marked the first roads into Rovaltinny. Bows and arrows were scattered everywhere, found near the remnants of Wingidons who had presumably been petrified and shattered as they dropped to the ground. Strangely enough, there were no pools of poison this time, but instead lumps of flesh which emitted a pungent odour and had almost the same sort of chemical oozing out. The road itself, aside from intrusions of rock, appeared to have multiple speed bumps embedded in the mud, crisscrossing the entire path, at least within the radius that was visible to them. “Do the Wingidons even know how to build roads? How hard is it for a society that lives in the mountains to gather stone and pave at least part of a road on their own territory?” One captain commented as she almost tripped over a bump in the ground. Parean, being the fountain of all knowledge, answered her “They don't use their roads for anything other than cargo and visitors, but from what the records of the Great Knight expedition show, they were at least maintained better than this.” "Really? Have they just not bothered to look after their roads and decided to be lazy and just fly around everywhere without realising that some people can't fly!" the captain quipped. Determined to clarify any misinterpretation, Parean continued "Then again Vectiam, the Wingidons don't have much of a quarrying industry either. The statues they create aren't the best and they're not known for their strength, so transportation of stone would be more difficult and expensive, and frankly roads would be a worthless investment in their trade, and sector which the Rovalians will be unable to expand effectively given their isolated position and lack of nearby friendly civilisations." "Fair enough, but the baggage train is still suffering from a few problems." Vectiam declared, gesturing at the uneven terrain, with multiple potholes that the wheels of their supply wagons could entrap themselves in. "Agreed. This road does not deserve to be called a road. Plus, this weather isn't helping transportation one bit." Another captain came up from behind Vectiam, shaking her head as she observed the irregular mounds of earth scattered across everywhere - yet another obstacle to a fully-loaded wagon. "Captain Yunathrad, I thought you were supposed to be escorting the rear of the convoy?" Vectiam queried, confused by her sudden, though welcome, intrusion. "Well it seems that one of the wagons somehow lost broke its wheel and only my lieutenants can actually repair them, while the rest of my squadron is absolutely clueless and I couldn't actually trust them with delivering a message to Pepin that the rear is delayed." Yunathrad explained with a hint of frustration at the ineptness of her own soldiers, who were far from being experienced, "They're just ridiculously incompetent, they'd probably get lost in the fighting and go the other direction. I'd laugh at them all day if I wasn't the captain responsible for them. It's rather depressing." she sighed. All three of them grimaced, reminiscing about the times that they were all training to be soldiers, when ridiculously strict standards of disciple were expected of them. "The good old days, when we were supposed to be able to fight properly before we were sent into combat." Vectiam snickered. "Agreed, if only the Council cared about their distant allies slightly more." Parean beamed. Yunathrad returned "Well, that's the Council for you. Any way, I should probably inform Pepin that..." "Err, does anyone feel something moving beneath the ground? I can definitely feel some sort of vibration underneath my feet." Vectiam's tentative comment broke the air's light-heartedness. "Movement? Are you sure?" Yunathrad asked in response, put on edge by her unexpected question. Parean remained collected in her composure "Vectiam, I advise you step away from wherever you're standing, because you definitely do not want to be collapsed into some variety of pit." Discreetly, Vectiam stepped off the spot on one of the mounds she had previously been standing on, staring at the earth as though anticipating something popping out onto the surface. "Hmm, that's unusual..." *** In the meantime, Vince, Delphius, Nircurus, Galderian and Yaleris were all trudging through the all-enveloping fog, enduring Rivinle's incessant and spiteful fuming directed at Pepin, who was equally trying to survive Rivinle's unending stream of criticism. "...Sending your best troops into an isolated corner away from available reinforcements? What sort of general does that? I'll tell you: a terrible general, who is utterly incompetent in command and cannot command his soldiers properly. Honestly, I should be in charge right now, not you. I would make a much superior general and actually be capable of genuine tactical manoeuvres which don't kill everyone. What idiot messes up so badly that he has to rely on one of his subordinate captains taking the initiative to save him? You clearly don't deserve..." Intent on distracting himself, Delphius whispered to Galderian "Okay, I know I may have insulted you about talking about strategy too much Galderian, but Rivinle is such a... such a..." "An egoistic, haughty, supercilious being who deserves to be left in a room alone with Hastini to be tortured to death? I think we can definitely both agree on that." Galderian snorted, finally aligning with Delphius for once. It was clear that almost everyone on the expedition loathed Rivinle as a ridiculously egoistic soldier, arrogantly disdainful of almost everyone else - seemingly a typical example of the Juggernaut mentality that had been drilled into him. "Don't you just wish that something would just burst out of the ground and eat him?" Vince chipped into their conversation with equal, quiet enthusiasm. Delphius and Galderian both nodded in firm agreement. "Why can't Pepin just kill Rivinle on the spot? It's not like he's done any good on this expedition; he's probably done much more worse than good in fact." Yaleris joined, also eager to show her dissatisfaction with the arrogant Juggernaut as everyone else. "That's the problem." Now Nircurus had caught up to their whispering and was congregating with the walking line that had formed from the one-sided debate on how to treat Rivinle. "Rivinle and some of his soldiers are genuinely strong and Rivinle himself could potentially kill Pepin if he ever felt threatened by his presence. At the moment, it appears that he simply enjoys irritating Pepin with his comments to reinforce his superiority." Everyone else shook their heads in disappointment "Unfortunate, I know." Nircurus finished. As the five of them continued ambling along the rough road, contemplating how to kill Rivinle, Vince inquired jokingly "Why can't you shut Rivinle down with some of your superior intellect or knowledge, or maybe Galderian?" "Yet another complication. Rivinle hasn't lost a single battle he has participated in, the Juggernauts are usually deployed in relatively small taskforces, averaging around 20 per group, and they specialise in breaking through enemy lines, sabotage missions, ambushing enemy figures of command etcetera. The one major failure of Juggernauts was when they were sent to the Maxilla Peninsula, when only half of them returned alive, and according to reports, they were indefinitely shaken by what had happened, at least temporarily. Unfortunately for Galderian and I, Rivinle wasn't there, so I can't criticise him in any professional manner." Nircurus resolved in a depressed tone. Maybe Rivinle's arrogance was slightly justified. "Well at least you're safe from criticism." Vince spoke up again after a moment of silence, with a volume still unheard by Rivinle. In a concerned tone, Nircurus continued "Perhaps I am, but I'm significantly more concerned for Galderian than myself. If a Juggernaut was to take command of the expedition, such as Rivinle, one of their favourable tactics used a full frontal charge, which the enhanced Juggernauts can use to break through or at least disrupt any part of an enemy battle line. However, none of us here are Juggernauts, therefore we are much more likely to die. Whereas I would debate the order to charge, agree to it eventually, and then just use my own strategies anyway, I sometimes sense that Galderian quarrels too much with those he disagrees with over tactics, and will almost never compromise. With a Juggernaut, that sort of behaviour is quite dangerous." "I suppose so" Vince shrugged "I doubt the Council will bother to send another Juggernaut if Rivinle is still alive, and Pepin will never relinquish control to him either." "Let's us hope so." Agreed Yaleris. "Yeah, Pepin even has Tangeldis on his side, who's probably quite even matched against... wait, are those eyes?" Vince stared in the direction of the forest, looking into a bulbous pair of shining red eyes hidden deep within the fighting. "Eyes? Please don't tell me there are more Crawlers now! I just cleaned my halberd! And now this visibility means that we can't actually see them." Yaleris groaned. "No, I can only see one or two pairs, but it looks like they're-WHAT THE?" The mound that Vince was standing on collapsed beneath his feet, revealing a small pit in the road. The cries of multiple other soldiers erupted in the air from several points at the front of the convoy. "What's happening..." Yaleris' question was cut short as the ground beneath Nircurus gave way, leaving him with his spear lodged into part of the soil in an attempt to prevent himself from falling in completely. Further on, Pepin was finally saved from Rivinle’s persecution of him, when they were both dropped into pits of their own. "Well, at least this is better than before..." Pepin's relief suddenly evaporated as he felt a Crawler's jaw clench around his stocky leg, and begin tugging with tremendous force. Loud screams and yelps informed Pepin that most of there were more victims of this trap. The Crawler bit deeper into his limb, digging its teeth into the metallic greave on his leg while it clawed at his unarmoured knee joint, causing Pepin to gasp in pain as it narrowly avoided the knee itself. Intent on freeing himself, he reached for his throwing axe at his side, just as he noticed that the Crawler was attempting to drag him further into a small tunnel reminiscent of a rabbit hole - only that the screams and growls emanating from within suggested that it was not rabbits, but something fat worse. "General!" A woman's voice screeched from above, clearly aggravated. With the speed of a lightning bolt, her spear pierced the Crawler's neck as it was about to disappear into its tunnel, taking Pepin along with it. The creature stopped pulling with as much force, narrowing its eyes in a sort of wince, allowing Pepin to smash his throwing axe diagonally into its head, dashing it's brains out and leaving a significant dent in the skull. With his blood still pumping as though a chariot race was taking place in his body, Pepin slowly prised the dead Crawler's jaw open to release his leg. Luckily, the Crawler had not targeted his vulnerable kneecap, which was more exposed than his lower leg. This time, the spearwoman, who had effectively saved him from being devoured, reached her hand down to help the diminutive Pepin out of the pit. "Thank you Tillecthel!" Pepin panted, blood still coursing through his arteries and veins. His legs scrambled up the crumbling soil back up onto the road while Bregecthel pulled him out. "General, I'm sure this was a deliberate trap - almost all of the captains at the front of the convoy have been ensnared in some of these pits." Tillecthel informed him. As Pepin registered his surroundings, he saw multiple near-identical pits everywhere. "They targeted all the captains? Any good news?" Pepin inquired. "Well, Rivinle is dead sir. The Crawlers dragged him down one of the tunnels. I'm sure I could hear him screaming as he probably tore apart several Crawlers with his bare hands, so at least he was somewhat useful until the Crawlers most likely devoured him." Tillecthel proclaimed, somewhat ironically. Pepin let a small smile appear on his face. No matter how brutal a fate it was, he was sure that Rivinle deserved such punishment. There would not have been a more efficient and humiliating method to eliminate him. *** Vince blinked and rubbed his eyes, slightly dizzy from falling. He could hear some commotion above, but no sound came out clearly. Confounded, he scrolled his eyes around the small pit he had just collapsed into. Above the pit was Delphius, Galderian and Yaleris, but Nircurus was strangely not present. "Vince, are you ok? Nircurus just fell into a hole similar to yours." Delphius's voice came through and Vince nodded, trying to stand up on his pain-riddled legs. Then he noticed a small hole at the lower side of the pit, sufficiently sized to allow a person to crawl through. "To crawl through..." Vince mumbled to himself as he slowly built up his deduction - a hole small enough for a... "Crawler!" He exclaimed in panic. The creature emerged from the tunnel, followed by a much larger Crawler with more prominent eyes. Without hesitation, Vince unsheathed his arming sword and plunged the sword deep into the first Crawler's chest as it leaped onto his torso, instantly killing it and leaving its body lying directly on top of him. Impaired by the dead Crawler, Vince attempted to roll it off, only to feel his leg being dragged with surprising speed into the tunnel by the second Crawler. Its jaw was fixed tightly around his leg armour, and Vince could sense the Crawler's saliva as it encased his leg while he was wrenched into the tunnel. Recognising that if he was dragged in, he would be completely defenceless, he began kicking around his legs and stabbed his arming sword into the entrance of the tunnel, trying to pull his weapon to wrench himself free. Now unaware of his surroundings, Vince concentrated on hoisting himself back out of the death hole, pushing the entrance back with the full might of his hands.He did not intend to be eaten alive, or at least just yet. *** "Something's got Vince's leg!" Delphius warned his fellow soldiers still on the ground. Whether by sheer coincidence or perhaps deliberate intent, both of their captains had fallen prey to this pit trap. Nircurus was being aided by Galderian and Yaleris, who were using their spears to skewer the single Crawler attempting to kill Nircurus. Vince, on the other hand, had no advantage of spears - his soldiers used primarily axes - and he had faced two Crawlers. "Edlothang! Anyone! Help me dig a hole above this spot here! We need to kill that Crawler!" Delphius yelled in his most commanding voice. Obeying his commands, the squadron brought up their shovels and began demolishing the exact area on the road. Edlothang sprinted up from behind, catching Delphius in the process. The two of them were fixated on the digging spot, ready to stab through the point where they estimated the Crawler would be. A few other Knights had taken to encouraging Vince to continue holding, with even one jumping in to help the effort of dragging him back out of the tunnel. As the squadron continued to dig, a scale-like texture cropped out of the ground, revealing the bulky Crawler. Edlothang had her sword poised to stab into the Crawler's back, while Delphius had his axe ready to decapitate it. Their strikes went down simultaneously, ending Vince's struggle completely. The captain shuffled out of the hole tentatively. He was still alive. *** “Hmm, that's unusual, there may be something lurking underneath the road.” Vectiam spoke quietly. “Captain Parean, do you think that we’re being watched? The fog makes it easier for them to ambush us.” Uldarlas questioned her, with a similar level of caution. "Even that sign there, saying 'Welcome to Rovaltinny' has some air of danger." “Potentially…” Parean trailed off into an eerie silence, alleviated by the mutterings of other soldiers. “Remember, simply stay vigilant and…” “WHAT THE-!” a sudden scream from the front of the column smashed the relative quiet. The three captains twisted their heads around at the sound, which was followed by a cascade of similar grunts and yells. “What's happening?” Yunathrad whispered, her voice barely audible. Just as Parean was about to suggest something, the mound beneath her crumpled into oblivion, dropping her into a deepened pothole as she slumped to its side. “Did this just happen... to everyone?” Yunathrad puzzled, confounded to an even greater extent than before. Parean groaned in response, attempting to stagger back onto her two feet. Exactly when she reached out her hands for her soldiers to pull her out, a Crawler burst out of the rubble of the dirt road, clawing at her armoured heel and yanking it off balance. Parean once again crumpled to the side, fumbling around as she dropped her shield. The Crawler dragged her foot into the smaller passage it had presumably constructed itself. Unwilling to suffer being forced into a position of disadvantage and devoured by a single Crawler, Parean retrieved her shield and jabbed the point straight at the Crawler's eye, gouging it out and leaving the creature writhing around as it slipped back through its tunnel. Mostly unscathed, she clamoured back out of the pit, rubbing her heel as she did so. "A Crawler? Why are they intelligent enough to attack all our captain in a trap?" Uldarlas probed, her voice significantly more nervous. "This is certainly worrying. If they had succeeded in killing me, that would have disrupted the chain of command even further and caused more chaos." Parean reflected "If they are targeting all the captains, that is certainly worse." Parean's fears were confirmed as, seconds later, a pit opened up beneath Yunathrad, swallowing her. A second later, she screamed in pain as the Crawler that lay in wait tore around her ankles, securing its jagged teeth and retreating into the tunnel. Parean, lacking a weapon with sufficient reach, launched her hand out for Yunathrad to hold on. Seeing that Parean alone could not free her comrade from the grasp of the Crawler, Vectiam thrust her halberd downwards, intending to spear the Crawler directly. It was to no avail. Facing an enhanced Crawler, or possibly more than one, the efforts of Parean and a few of her soldiers, who were equally attempting to rescue Yunathrad, momentarily collapsed, dropping Yunathrad to the base of the pit. No longer facing resistance, the Crawler flung her into the tunnel, escaping just in time for Vectiam's halberd to punch a hole clean into Yunathrad's abdomen. Yunathrad's mouth opened to let out a gasp, but no sound came out. Vectiam stood there, shocked to the core as the revelation came to her: she had killed her own friend. Her halberd remained embedded directly inside Yunathrad, shaking with Vectiam's trembling hands. Parean and her soldiers stared in disbelief, slowly reaching back in the hole to evacuate Yunathrad's lifeless body, which the Crawler had left behind. Intending to break the deathly silence that surrounded her, Uldarlas commented: "Welcome to Rovaltinny indeed - the land of stone and death." Chapter Five - A Broken Wing "Four captains have been killed sir, all at the front half of the column: Rivinle Linburec, Yunathrad Huhang, Saucifel Ijovlar and Cilenu Pilcelet. Two captains have been incapacitated: Osgaron Ristalth, who needs to have his leg amputated, and Aiiror Wouzhing, who is still unconscious. Another five have been injured, but are not in a serious condition: Vince Sihanouk, Parean Jagmoris, Shaozkar Balseju, Quargerin Norsiori..." Pepin was still scrunching up his eyes and reopening them, trying to clear his head as Tangeldis was relaying information to him. ''How had they targeted specifically captains and figures of command, rather than just any soldier? '' he mused. "General? Is something wrong?" Tangeldis had picked up on Pepin's unusual lack of attentiveness. After a brief pause, Pepin returned "Those Crawlers must have targeted all the captains deliberately. There is no way that all 17 victims, including myself and five other unharmed captains, were by coincidence in some position of command. They must have planned out a trap below the road, which means they have obviously become significantly more intelligent." "Commanding the rear of the column, I had no problems of Crawlers specifically, but the baggage train was immensely difficult to manoeuver around the pits left behind." Tangeldis stated. There was no hiding of the unease both of them felt. They had been thrust into a post of command simply because Pepin was the only available Great Knight commander with an interest in the north (his father had died on a failed expedition 8 years ago) and Tangeldis the only competent and loyal subordinate delegated to Pepin. In truth, neither thought that the Eclipse Expedition was a force to be reckoned with: half were completely inexperienced and fresh out of training; a quarter were fanatically loyal to the Great Knight council and refused to even remain in the same camp as Pepin's contingent; and the remaining quarter, who could actually be trusted, were overworked to compensate for the incompetence of the expedition as a whole. Their current situation was worsening - not only had their only nearby allies disappeared, but their chain of command had been culled even further. Now they were a bumbling body of soldiers failing at their objective and entering a devoid land. "Oh how fortunate I have been. " he sarcastically praised the Council. "All they do is sit in a castle and decide which potential reformer to throw into the wild to be devoured by some creature, while they lounge about in their mansions. Bourgeoisie pigs. " Category:Story Category:Great Knights Category:Chaos